ROPSLEY VILLAGE WAR MEMORIALS
There are six war memorials within the south Lincolnshire village of
Ropsley. Four of these are sited within the village church of St. Peters and the other two are sited on the village green. Details of these memorials together with supporting photographs follow.
VILLAGE GREEN OBELISK MEMORIAL
The oldest memorial takes the form of a pink marble obelisk with the names of the fallen picked out in gold lettering. It stands on the village green and was formally opened on March 30th. 1922 by the Hon
Claude Willoughby MP. It cost one hundred and seventy nine pounds thirteen shillings and four old pennies and was paid for by local people. Originally this memorial carried only the names of the fallen from WW1 but following WW2 further names were added. Sadly in 1999 when the obelisk had stood unmolested since 1922 tragedy struck. It was smashed in a road traffic accident. However, in due course it was replaced in its original form and the opportunity at replacement was taken to add additional names only recently discovered.
The original 1922 memorial was surrounded by railings. These were removed at the start of WW2 to provide war material. After the cessation of hostilities the railings were refitted only to be removed again in the 1970s. At 2012 the obelisk stands alone.
 
1922 ORIGINAL OBELISK OBELISK MEMORIAL
SURROUNDED BY RAILINGS AT 2012
VILLAGE GREEN SMALL MEMORIAL
At the millennium research indicated that a further small group of local men who had been lost in war had not been remembered on any local memorial. In 2009 this was rectified. A second memorial was erected on the village green. This memorial was financed by the Sentance family. It is small and made of the same pink marble as its neighbour. Again the lettering is picked out in gold.

THE SECOND ROPSLEY VILLAGE GREEN MEMORIAL AT 2012
The final four Ropsley village war memorials are sited within the parish church of St. Peters. These are described below.
CHURCH ROLL OF HONOUR
The oldest church memorial is a roll of honour remembering those who died during WW1. It takes the form of a marble plaque surrounded by an ornate decoration topped by a cross and was dedicated at a special service on February 19th 1922. The names are supported by the following moving words.
“THEY DIED THE NOBLEST DEATH A MAN CAN DIE
FIGHTING FOR GOD AND RIGHT AND LIBERTY.”


CHURCH ROLL OF HONOUR 2012
CORPORAL WATMOUGH PLATE
Corporal Watmough was a local man who was killed at Arras in 1917. His widow, Elsie Watmough presented the church with two prayer stools in his memory. She also arranged for a commemorative plate to be fitted in the church. This brass plate is sited on a choir pew at the right side of the church.

FRANCES WATMOUGH MEMORIAL PLATE AT 2012
PHILIP DALES STAINED GLASS WINDOW
The third church war memorial at Ropsley takes the form of a striking stained glass window which is sited in the south wall. It is dedicated to the memory of Sergeant William Philip Dales who was a fighter pilot in the Royal A ir Force. ‘Phil’ was a Ropsley man who enlisted in the
RAF at the start of WW2. He went on to fly in action many times surviving until 1941. Sadly, whilst flying a mission over Belgium on November 5th 1941 he was shot down and killed.
In 1949 his family gained permission from the Dioceses authorities to erect a stained glass window in his memory. Later that year the window was put in place. It was funded entirely from the Dales family resources. The scene is that of Sergeant Dales in flying uniform with an gels above and gun dogs at his feet. The inscription reads, “Greater love have no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”

SERGEANT DALES MEMORIAL WINDOW AT 2012
SCROLL OF HONOUR
The final Ropsley parish church war memorial takes the form of a scroll of honour. It is sited on the north wall and dates from 2009. The scroll provides a list of names of village war dead not included on the original roll. The names listed on the scroll were discovered during millennium research on unrelated matters undertaken by the Sentance family. This memorial was funded by the Sentance family. Its inclusion within the church, together with the other memorials, now provides a complete list of village war dead held within this one holy place. The scroll takes the form of a framed photograph of the updated roll.

SCROLL OF HONOUR AT 2012
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SAPPERTON VILLAGE WAR MEMORIALS
The south Lincolnshire village of Sapperton has only one war memorial.
It takes the form of a stained glass window. The window is sited in the

south wall of St. Nicholas church and remembers Corporal Cyril Rudkin.
It was erected in 1921 and was funded largely from the resources of the
Sapperton Rudkin family.
The circumstances of Cyril’s death are as follows. He was transhipping out of Gibraltar on the SS Mercian when his vessel came under fire from a surfaced German submarine. It was November 3rd 1915.
Corporal Rudkin was killed in that action. He has no known grave and was
23 years old at the time of his death.

THE SAPPERTON RUDKIN MEMORIAL WINDOW AT 2012
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BRACEBY VILLAGE WAR MEMORIALS
The South Lincolnshire village of Braceby has only one war memorial. It is sited within the village church of St Margaret and takes the form of a commemorative plate. The plate remembers John and Frederik Cheavins, members of the Braceby Cheavins family. Both of these men were killed in action during WW1. The memorial dates from the 1920s and was funded from the resources of the Braceby Cheavins family.

THE BRACEBY CHEAVINS MEMORIAL AT 2012